ANDOVER, S.D. – Innovators in Europe and North America have worked together to offer the Joker – a new compact-frame disc designed to get lot of work done in one pass.
The Joker evolved from farming practices in Europe and was redesigned for North American farmers by Horsch Anderson.
“The Joker was developed out of the necessity for shallow tillage at high speeds,” said Jeremy Hughes, Horsch Anderson sales manager.
For those not familiar with Horsch Anderson, Michael Horsch and Kevin Anderson formed their company in 2000. Horsch from Germany and Anderson from eastern South Dakota – wanted to build a new high performance planting system for farmers in North America.
They released the first Horsch Anderson Planting System in 2002 – designed for high speed and plenty of capacity. The system reduces the number of field passes needed for planting.
The combination of planting and fertilizing in one pass at high speeds allows the Horsch Anderson Planting System to work well in large farming operations.
Horsch Anderson has now grown into many markets and continues to expand their product line.
Along with a factory in Andover, S.D., Horsch Anderson has factories in Germany and Ukraine.
“We’re getting information and feedback from around the world,” Hughes said. “It’s a very rapid way of advancing product.”
Their most recent offering is the Joker disc, an innovative tillage tool to incorporate fertilizer, manure, residue or green crop prior to small grains or row crop seeding.
Horsch came up with the name Joker, said Hughes.
“Just like in a card game, anytime you get into a tight spot, the Joker gets you out,” said Hughes. “If you are in a short timeframe for getting seedbed preparation done, the Joker is an essential tool in a tight spot.”
Available as a three-point mount or as a drawbar pull tool, the Joker has two ranks of 18-inch notched blades mounted on heavy-duty rubber torsion bars for aggressive tillage action. The discs turn fast to mix soil and residue. Blades are mounted on each side of each bar spring system for independent action in rocks and varying terrain. Each blade is mounted individually to a bearing – one bearing is mounted to the face of the disc blade, while the other is mounted where the bolts lock into the other side of the “cone.”
If the operator hits a rock and breaks a disc, they pull five bolts out and replace one blade. Spade discs on the outer ends of the disc eliminate soil ridging.
The Joker does not use a harrow, rolling basket or drag to level the soil. Instead, a “Roll Flex” system consolidates residue and soil, leaving the field smooth and ready to plant.
Four “ring” packers (rounded springs) “flex” for a self-cleaning action in wet conditions without the use of scrapers. Leveling tines are evenly spaced between the packers for performance in varied field conditions.
“Most tillage tools in America open up the soil. They do nothing for field finish or packing,” said Hughes. “That’s what the Joker does at a high speed. We’re going down almost 4 inches of cultivation and then also field leveling.”
Four models are currently available.
The Joker CT three-point hitch models feature heavy duty CAT III link mounting. The Joker 4CT has a working width of 13 feet, a horsepower requirement of 120-160 hp, a weight of 5,400 pounds, 32 blades and a transport width of 9.7 feet. The Joker 5CT has a working width of 16.5 feet, a horsepower requirement of 150-200 hp, a weight of 6,285 pounds, 46 blades and a transport width of 9.7 feet.
When the CT models are lifted, two wings fold up for transport.
The Joker 6RT drawbar model has a working width of 19.5 feet, a horsepower requirement of 180-240 hp, a weight of 9,600 pounds, 48 blades and a transport width of 10 feet.
The Joker 8RT drawbar model has a working width of 25 feet, a horsepower requirement of 240-320 hp, a weight of 11,840 pounds, 60 blades and a transport width of 10 feet.
The RT models fold up with an additional transport wheel on the back.
Horsch Anderson intends to offer larger Jokers in the future. The Joker is capable of 10-plus mph operation in fields, depending on conditions and tractor horsepower. Butler Machinery will distribute the Joker in North Dakota and South Dakota. They have demonstrated the compact disc near Aberdeen and Watertown, S.D., as well as Cando and Fargo, N.D.
“Growers are surprised by its speed, the way it’s sized to measure the residue, and the field leveling at the end,” said Hughes. As growers introduce corn into traditional small grain areas, tools like the Joker are needed to break down and size corn stalks and residue. The soil is also opened up a bit so the topsoil heats up faster.
One farmer tried the Joker on continuous corn, said Troy Hasselhorst, a salesman for Butler in Aberdeen.
“We took the Joker right down the rows, just deep enough to blacken the soil and cover up the trash, but not so deep it ripped up root balls like a normal tandem disc,” said Hasselhorst.
The customer was able to run the Joker at 12.5 mph, and just 2 inches deep. The Joker shattered soil clumps, created a mellow soil bed, and left the soil black.
“He came in with his corn planter, shifted over 15 inches and planted right down the middle of the 30-inch rows,” Hasselhorst said.
Some of his customers think the new device could work well in the fall in place of deep tillage, when run at an angle to the corn rows. “Just knock down corn stalks, but not work the soil so deep,” he said. “It would be a quick application so you’re not spending a lot of time in each field. It would be prepped for next year’s soybeans.”
The biggest surprise for Hasselhorst’s customers was how much residue “disappeared.” “Going into 200-bushel corn, and planting right back into it, we thought there would be a lot more residue on top,” he said. “The Joker throws the residue and mixes it with the soil. It does a real good job of that.”
The Joker has been used primarily in intensive cropping rotations, such as irrigated crops, corn-on-corn, and anywhere residue sizing is needed prior to planting.
The disc is also used in minimum tillage scenarios prior to planting soybeans, dry peas, small grains or corn into small grain’ residue.
“With another tool, you may have to make two or three passes across the field before running the planter, while ours is more of a one-pass system,” said Hughes.
Good ideas for improving agricultural practices can be found around the world.
“The learning that we do really spans the globe,” said Hughes. “At any time of the year, we’re getting information and feedback. Open channels of communication work at Horsch Anderson.”
Visit horschanderson.com for more information on the Joker.
http://www.farmandranchguide.com/articles/2009/08/03/ag_news/agri-tech/tech10.txt
Just picked up the 4ct joker from the dealer with a IH 1086 with 1000# on the front end.I had to steer with the brakes going up hill,very scary. I put on another 1000# at home before I tried the machine.It would still lift the front end and had to steer with the brakes,not good.I feel Horsch Anderson should refund my money,this machine should have been designed as a pull type.